Thousands of spectators sat along the route of one of the nation’s most revered marathons Monday, watching world-class athletes compete on the streets of Boston before they were all thrown into a whirlwind of anguish and confusion. With all the uncertainty surrounding the explosions at the Boston Marathon, the distress touched people’s lives all around the country, including Eugene.
University of Oregon alumnus Chris Bocchicchio was watching the marathon a few miles away from the finish when he heard an unidentifiable sound.
“It was a weird experience,” said Bocchicchio, who graduated this past year. “Seeing so many people crying, and you’re still trying to piece together what happened.”
Bocchicchio received a text message from a fellow UO graduate asking him what happened. At first he had no idea what his friend was talking about.
“The city was frozen. We didn’t know what to do,” said Bocchicchio. “Everyone is still in shock.”
Bocchicchio said he was visiting Boston and attended the marathon to watch his friend participate.
“It was pretty difficult to move around town. We took the bus to head back to our apartment, and the traffic was just insane,” he said.
They soon found out that two explosions had killed three and injured hundreds of spectators, Boston Marathon staff and participants in what is being classified by authorities as an organized strike near the finish line.
The police and race medical staff were already at the marathon and were quick to respond to the wounded, and responders knew what happened before most of the public could figure things out. The police and emergency officials started to check people’s bags, hoping to prevent additional chaos. Many of the participants and spectators carrying bags had dropped them and ran away from the blast.
The entire marathon is on streets no larger than two lanes, lined completely with spectators cheering for runners. Bocchicchio and his friends felt confused, having been at the marathon but not the explosion site. When they got back to their apartment they couldn’t help but reflect on their Patriots’ Day morning.
“We’re all still in a very surreal state,” said Bocchicchio. “It’s really crazy to think about.”
Around 25 minutes after finishing the marathon, two other UO alumni, Liz and Greg James, heard the explosions as well.
“The blasts were extremely loud,” Liz said. “We realized quickly that something was wrong when we started seeing spectators running from the area toward the Charles River, away from the blast.”
Liz and Greg were just blocks away from the explosions near the finish line when they figured out the blast was not a part of the Patriots’ Day festivities.
“The finish line was five people deep, those people are sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, family and friends of all kinds who were just enjoying the moment and the energy from the marathon,” Liz said.
Both nearly missed the blasts, having decided at the last minute to return to their hotel nearby.
“Everyone was stunned, shocked and trying to get cell phone service. A resident of the area showed us a tweeted picture of the blast zone,” Liz said. “It was horrific.”
UO financial analyst Thomas Szumita was sitting at his desk in Agate Hall checking up on the marathon online when the explosion occurred. Szumita was planning to run in his 10th consecutive Boston marathon before he injured his hamstring while training for the marathon. The injury forced him stay in Eugene this year.
“Obviously, when something like that happens, you’re glad that you’re not there,” Szumita said. “I’m glad that I avoided that this year. You never know what could happen.”
Szumita moved to Boston in 2003 and lived outside Providence, R.I. He moved to Eugene last September because of his wife’s decision to go back to school. She currently attends the UO School of Law.
Being part of the Boston running community, Szumita got to know other local marathoners. Despite being in contact with many of his old friends, he is still unsure whether he knows anyone among the injured.
“I have run it nine years in a row so I have had a bunch of people text me today and have got a couple calls,” said Szumita. “I have no idea who got hurt and who didn’t.”
The Boston Marathon gathers around 20,000 participants every year; this year 23,336 participants started the race. It’s a large event for the city of Boston and is a hard event to miss.
Szumita is thankful his injury prevented him from running and the possibility of someone he knew being hurt because they were there to cheer him on.
“My mom comes to watch me every year. All nine times,” Szumita said. “Eight of them she met me at the finish line, so I’m happy that she wasn’t there.”